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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · safe · snap · bark · press · clip · fine · land

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — ground
  3. clip — to cut
  4. snap — to click
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. press — to push
  13. fine — all right
  14. bark — to shout
  15. land — a country
  16. fine — high quality
  17. shower — rain
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — a video
  22. press — newspapers
  23. land — to come down
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com